Feb. 5, 2026 - Daily News Digest

On this day: in 1962, French President Charles de Gaulle calls for Algeria to be granted independence; this would not go into effect until 5 months later.

QOTD: "Our partners may not all share the same values and interests, but they share the view that we need a world order in which we trust agreements and treat each other with respect," [Chancellor Merz] added.

US/GOV - Trump Administration to Make It Easier to Fire 50,000 Federal Workers
https://www.wsj.com/politics/policy/trump-federal-employees-new-category-1051bc29?mod=hp_lead_pos1

he Trump administration is planning to make it easier to discipline—and potentially fire—career officials in senior positions across the government, a move that would affect roughly 50,000 federal workers.

The U.S. Office of Personnel Management, which oversees the federal workforce, issued a final rule on Thursday that creates a category of worker for high-ranking career employees whose work focuses on executing the administration’s policies. Workers who fall into that category would no longer be subject to rules that for decades have set a high bar for firing federal employees.

While political appointees at agencies are considered at-will employees who serve at the discretion of the president, career employees have long enjoyed strong job protections, including the ability to appeal firings, suspensions or disciplinary action to an independent board. Workers that fall under the new category wouldn’t be able to appeal to the board.

The change is part of a far-reaching effort by the administration to overhaul federal agencies and reduce the size of the government’s workforce. Senior political appointees, spurred on by President Trump’s longstanding contention that a “deep state” is undermining his agenda, have shut down government programs, fired thousands of employees and offered others voluntary separation agreements.

Office of Personnel Management officials said the rule is aimed in part at disciplining federal workers who stand in the way of Trump’s policies. OPM said the new category applies to senior positions that are policy-determining, policymaking or policy-advocating in nature.

US/RUSSIA/MIL - US, Russia to reestablish military-to-military talks
https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/us-russia-reestablish-high-level-military-to-military-dialogue-us-military-says-2026-02-05/

The U.S. military said that Washington and Moscow on Thursday agreed to reestablish high level military-to-military dialogue, following talks in Abu Dhabi, a move which could signal a move towards normalizing some ties between the United States and Russia.

The United States halted military-to-military communication with Moscow just before Russia invaded Ukraine. The conflict, which began in 2022, is the deadliest war in Europe since World War Two and the biggest confrontation between Moscow and the West since the depths of the Cold War.

In a statement, the U.S. military said the aim of reestablishing the mechanism was to avoid miscalculation and escalation by either side.

"Maintaining dialogue between militaries is an important factor in global stability and peace, which can only be achieved through strength, and provides a means for increased transparency and de-escalation," the statement added.

The reestablishment comes after the commander of U.S. European Command, General Alexus Grynkewich, held talks with senior Russian and Ukrainian military officials in Abu Dhabi.

Even after high-level military talks were halted between the United States and Russia, they maintained an emergency deconfliction line.

SLOVENIA/TECH - Slovenia prepares legislation to ban social media for under-15s
https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/slovenia-preparing-law-ban-access-social-media-minors-under-15-2026-02-05/

Slovenia is preparing draft legislation to ban social media access for children under 15, Deputy Prime Minister Matej Arcon told a news conference on Thursday.

Slovenia, with a population of around 2 million, is following Spain and Greece, which earlier this week proposed bans on social media use by teenagers in a sign of hardening attitudes in Europe towards the technology that some say is designed to be addictive.
Arcon said the Education Ministry had initiated the move, based on the experience of other countries, and that experts in education and digital technologies would also be involved in drafting the law that aims to protect children and adolescents.

"This has been a hot topic around the world and in Europe in recent weeks and months, and with this, we as a government are showing that we care about our children," Arcon said after the government session.

He said the government wants to regulate social networks where content is shared, mentioning TikTok, Snapchat and Instagram, among others.

While Spain wants to prohibit social media for under-16s, Greece is close to announcing a similar ban for children under 15, according to a senior government source.

GERMANY/PERSIAN GULF/ENERGY - Germany's Merz heads to Saudi, Gulf in quest for new partners
https://www.reuters.com/business/finance/germanys-merz-heads-saudi-gulf-quest-new-partners-2026-02-04/

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz began a tour of Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates on Wednesday aiming to forge energy and arms partnerships as Europe's biggest and richest economy sought to reduce dependence on the U.S. and China.

"We need such partnerships more than ever at a time when politics is increasingly being determined by major powers," Merz said at the start of his three-day trip, adding the aim of such alliances was to preserve freedom, security and prosperity.

"Our partners may not all share the same values and interests, but they share the view that we need a world order in which we trust agreements and treat each other with respect," he added.

The tour, which follows visits to Brazil and South Africa last year and India last month, is part of a broader German initiative to diversify global alliances.

"In such a network of partnerships, we reduce unilateral dependencies, mitigate risks and create new opportunities together for our mutual benefit," said Merz.

In the Gulf, Merz said he wanted deeper cooperation in the energy and armaments sectors, adding Berlin was adopting a less restrictive approach on arms exports. Germany's economy minister prepared the ground last week.

LIBYA/SEC - Libya’s top prosecutor launches probe into Saif al-Islam Gaddafi’s killing
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/2/4/libyas-top-prosecutor-launches-probe-into-saif-al-islam-gaddafis-killing

Libyan prosecutors have launched a formal probe into the killing of Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, the son of the country’s late leader Muammar Gaddafi.

The public prosecutor’s office said on Wednesday that forensic experts had been dispatched to Zintan in northwest Libya, where Gaddafi was shot dead, adding that efforts were under way to identify suspects.

“The victim died from wounds by gunfire,” the office said in a statement, adding that investigators were looking to “speak to witnesses and anyone who may be able to shed light on the incident”.

Gaddafi’s political team said “four masked men” stormed his house and killed him in a “cowardly and treacherous assassination”. It said Gaddafi engaged in a direct struggle with the assailants, who had shut down the property’s security cameras in what was described as a “desperate attempt to conceal traces of their heinous crimes”.

While holding no formal government post, Gaddafi was widely viewed as his father’s second-in-command from 2000 until the 2011 uprising that ended Muammar Gaddafi’s 42-year rule and resulted in his killing at the hands of opposition forces.

Saif al-Islam was seized by a militia in Zintan in late 2011 as he tried to escape to neighbouring Niger after the fall of Tripoli.

After spending six years in captivity, he was granted freedom in 2017 under an amnesty law and remained a resident of Zintan.

US/IRAN/OMAN/NEGOTIATIONS - U.S., Iran Agree to Discuss Nuclear Issues Friday in Oman
https://www.wsj.com/world/middle-east/iran-plays-hardball-with-the-u-s-to-throw-it-off-balance-6df2a1ad?mod=world_lead_pos5

The U.S. and Iran have reached an agreement to hold nuclear talks in Oman on Friday, ending a drama over what would be discussed, but restarting a delicate diplomatic dance that may yet end with President Trump ordering airstrikes on Iran.

Both the White House and Iran’s Foreign Ministry confirmed the Friday sitdown, the first time since last May that Washington and Tehran will hold formal negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program. The U.S. wants Tehran to stop enriching uranium, curb its ballistic missile program and end its support for regional proxies. Iran has said it is willing to discuss only its nuclear work.

For a brief period Wednesday, the talks seemed in danger of collapsing. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters that Iran had backed out of an agreed-to format in which the U.S. and Iran would be joined by regional nations in Turkey.

Rubio said that American conditions for agreeing to negotiations included assurances that the talks would cover more than Iran’s nuclear efforts, such as Tehran’s crackdown on protesters. “I’m not sure you can reach a deal with these guys, but we’re going to try to find out,” he told reporters.

Hours later, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said “nuclear talks” were on in the Omani capital. A White House official confirmed that was the case.

The saga was the latest whiplash-inducing moment in Trump’s Iran policy, which has swung from seeking a major deal with Tehran to pushing regime change. The U.S. still hasn’t ruled out strikes on Iran for its mistreatment of demonstrators and nuclear work—and has massed air and naval forces in the region.

GIFT LINK - The American and Chinese Economies Are Hurtling Toward a Messy Divo
https://www.wsj.com/world/china/us-china-decouple-economy-minerals-tech-602fdee6?st=jxrHfn&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink

In China’s northeastern grain belt, farmers are getting a windfall from the government: more subsidies to grow soybeans, part of an estimated $1 trillion national effort to declare economic independence from the U.S.

More than 7,500 miles away, in Milwaukee, the industrial-parts manufacturer Husco is scrambling to use fewer Chinese-made components in its U.S. factories, as the Trump administration wields tariffs to reduce imports and try to resurrect American manufacturing.

“Some customers,” said Husco Chief Executive Austin Ramirez, “are demanding zero exposure to China.”

The forces underlying these two trends are driven by a reality settling in across Washington and Beijing. The two countries are starting to manage a messy divorce on the most sensitive issues of trade. Both view their economic competition as a matter of national security.

China’s leaders have determined that disentangling the two economies—often called “decoupling” or “derisking”—is inevitable. The shift fulfills a longstanding Chinese ambition to no longer be a junior partner to the West. It’s a break with decades of Beijing’s orthodoxy that China’s economic success depended on selling low-cost goods to American consumers and building its technological might with U.S. money and know-how.

Neither side wants to end all trade between the two economies. But fierce rivalry with the U.S. is now the primary driver of China’s economic strategy, and Xi Jinping is determined to come out on top.

“Over the past year, China has started to see the U.S. as a peer equal,” said Sarah Beran, a veteran American diplomat who is now a partner at Macro Advisory Partners. “China has accepted decoupling, and is now focused on controlling the pace of that decoupling.”

Since early 2024, Beijing has allocated nearly $1 trillion to build self-sufficiency in agriculture, energy and the semiconductors that power its artificial-intelligence drive, a Wall Street Journal analysis of Chinese public records shows. The playbook has already helped China evolve into a powerhouse in sectors like green energy and electric vehicles.

UK/PERSIAN GULF/TRADE - UK Says Trade Deal With Saudis, Other Gulf States ‘Imminent’
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-02-05/uk-minister-says-trade-deal-with-gulf-nations-is-imminent?srnd=phx-politics

The UK’s trade minister said a free-trade agreement with the Gulf Cooperation Council was “imminent,” as the Starmer government looks to build on pacts last year with the European Union, India and the US.

Business and Trade Secretary Peter Kyle said on Thursday that he expected an announcement with the six-nation bloc soon. The previous Conservative government started negotiations with the GCC, which includes Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, in 2022, but talks have been beset by delays.

Technical issues have largely been ironed out and few points remain to be agreed, according to people familiar with the matter who asked not to be named discussing the talks’ private details.

While people close to British negotiators were hopeful a deal could be reached before Christmas, that goal milestone passed without a deal. Kyle told reporters at the UK Trade and Export Finance Forum that a conclusion was now in sight. “On GCC, it’s imminent,” he said, declining to elaborate.

Prince William is expected to visit Saudi Arabia next week to bolster ties between the two countries and increase defense cooperation. The visit by the heir to the British throne may provide a chance for a breakthrough to be announced.

EU/UKRAINE - EU envoys agree details of 90 billion euro loan for Ukraine
https://www.reuters.com/world/eu-envoys-agree-details-90-bln-euro-loan-ukraine-2026-02-04/

European Union ambassadors on Wednesday approved details of a 90 billion euro loan for Ukraine, an initiative agreed by EU leaders in December to meet most of Kyiv's financial needs in 2026-2027 and keep up its fight against Russia's invasion.

The ambassadors reached the agreement at a closed-door meeting in Brussels, diplomats said. The text of the agreement was not immediately available but the Council of the EU said in a statement that two thirds of the funds would be spent on military aid and one third on general budget support.

On military aid, the deal stipulates that Kyiv should use the loan primarily to buy weapons from Ukraine or the EU but could buy from other countries if certain conditions are met.

"Defence products should in principle only be procured from companies in the EU, Ukraine, or EEA-EFTA countries. Should Ukraine’s military needs require the urgent delivery of a defence product which happens not to be available in the EU, Ukraine or an EEA-EFTA country, a set of targeted derogations would apply," the Council said.

The agreement also requires approval by the European Parliament, which diplomats said they hoped would come soon to allow the Commission to start borrowing on the markets and make a first payment to Ukraine in early April.

MOROCCO/FLOODS - Morocco urges residents to leave flood‑risk areas as evacuations exceed 108,000
https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/climate-energy/morocco-urges-residents-leave-floodrisk-areas-evacuations-exceed-108000-2026-02-04/

Morocco urged residents of flood‑prone areas in the country's northwestern plains to leave immediately on Wednesday, amid rising threats of inundation from heavy rain, swollen rivers and the release of more water from full dams.

The number evacuated by authorities reached 108,432, the Interior Ministry said.

Helicopters were deployed in rescue operations as rising waters inundated fields and villages across the northwest. The army has been deployed since Friday to help with evacuations amid a red alert for more heavy rainfall this week.

Northwestern Morocco, known as the Gharb region, is a key wheat-producing region made of low‑lying plains that drain poorly after weeks of heavy rain and due to lack of slope.

Rainfall in Morocco is up 215% from last year and 54% above the historical average, official data showed.

Evacuations were ordered in parts of the Larache province, including the city of Ksar El Kebir, Souaken, Ouled Ouchih, the Larache industrial zone and areas near the banks of the Loukous river, as a precaution against further flooding, the Interior Ministry said.

Most evacuations took place in Ksar El Kebir, where authorities said 85% of the population had already left. State TV showed those moved being given shelter and food in camps.

NETHERLANDS/MAXIMA’AM SECURITY - Dutch Queen Maxima joins army as a reservist, as "safety can no longer be taken for granted"
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/dutch-queen-maxima-joins-army-as-reservist/

The Netherlands' Queen Maxima has joined her country's army as a reservist, voicing concern about national security.

Maxima, 54, "has chosen to register now because our safety can no longer be taken for granted," according to a statement released Wednesday by the Dutch royal family, "and she, like many others, wants to contribute to that safety."

After training with the Royal Netherlands Army, the Argentinian-born Dutch queen will be promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel, and "like other reservists, she will deploy where needed," the royal family's statement said.

Photographs released by the family show the queen taking part in "Mental Skills" training at the Dutch Royal Military Academy in Breda, in the south of the country, taking part in various exercises. In one she is seen aiming a handgun.

An accompanying video set to high-energy rock-dance music shows Maxima smiling in green army fatigues before jumping into a pool, then rock climbing in a helmet.

Queen Maxima is not the first member of a European royal family to serve in their respective country's armed forces. Her own daughter Princess Catharina-Amalia recently finished her military training and was promoted to corporal.